Fraser first stated that while contact in the crease isn’t the only standard for a disallowed goal, he had some qualms with the way rule 69.1 was set up:

When this mandate was imposed following the most recent GM meetings in Florida, I said that it would not work effectively. I provided what I thought was logical assumptions and referenced examples from game situations that had been ruled upon. One most obvious example as to why long distance calls seldom work came from a San Jose goal scored in OT that was disallowed by the back referee at the red line when he ruled incidental contact had been made with Calgary goalkeeper, Miikka Kiprusoff. The contact clearly came from Kipper’s own player Olli Jokinen and not Sharks forward Tommy Wingels as the ref suspected.

Given the depth perception that results when a linesman views the play from a distance as close as 65 feet or the other referee as far back as 95 feet at the red line it is unrealistic to expect a more accurate decision could be rendered than from the official on the goal line 15 feet away. There are often times the low ref does require accurate information to make this call as we have seen but it is unlikely to come through an on-ice conference as the mandate provides. Last night’s decision that resulted in a Ducks goal being disallowed is further evidence of this.

Even with the flaws of opening things up to human error in mind, Fraser said that he would have allowed the goal to stand, which was obviously not the case (to Boudreau’s chagrin).

Since Marty Turco was content with the position he assumed within his goal crease I would have allowed the goal to stand just like the referee on the goal line. In this case, with Anaheim 11 points out of a playoff spot it might appear as though it just water off a Duck’s back. Good luck trying to convince coach Bruce Boudreau of that!

By now you’ve probably noticed a distinct uptick in goalie interference calls during games. Either they’ve resulted in penalties or, at worst, they’ve caused goals to be disallowed. There’s fewer things more frustrating than seeing a player get shoved into a goalie or just stand too close to one and seeing cause a goal to be wiped away.

Get ready to see more officials conferences after scores when there’s contact with the goalies. After the GM meetings, a memo was sent to all referees and linesman to consult with one another to make sure they get it right. For example, linesman will be allowed to tell referees if it should be no goal because there was a penalty on the play, even though they’re not allowed to call one. Just the same, if one of them sees a defender was responsible for pushing an attacker into the net, the goal can stand.

The amount of sense this all makes is immense. With the playoffs coming up and the added emphasis there’s been to pay attention to what happens in and around the goal, making sure the call is absolutely right is vital. The last thing anyone wants to see is a playoff game or series altered because of a bogus call around the crease.

This is where someone mentions something about 1999 and Brett Hull while Sabres fans throw their computer on the ground.